Table I.B.5 State Practices Regarding Eligibility of Nonexempt, Pre-PRWORA,
1
Qualified Aliens, July 2009
Battered
State Lawful permanent residents2 Asylees/Refugees3 Deportees4 Parolees5 noncitizens6
Alabama All All All All None
Alaska All All All All All
Arizona All All All All All
Arkansas All All All All None
California All All All All Some7
Colorado All All All All Some7
Connecticut All All All All All
Delaware All All All All All
D.C. All All All All All
Florida All All All All All
Georgia All All All All All
Hawaii8 All All All All All
Idaho All All All All All
Illinois All All All All Some7
Indiana All All All All None
Iowa All All All All All
Kansas All All All All All
Kentucky All All All All All
Louisiana All All All All All
Maine All All All All None
Maryland All All All All Some7
Massachusetts All All All All All
Michigan All All All All All
Minnesota All All All All All
Mississippi None All All None None
Missouri All All All All All
Montana All All9 All9 All Some7
Nebraska All All All All All
Nevada All None None All All
New Hampshire All All All All All
New Jersey All All All All All
New Mexico All All All All All
New York All All All All Some7
North Carolina All All All All Some7
North Dakota All All All All None
Ohio All All All All All
Oklahoma All All All All All
Oregon All All All All All
Pennsylvania All All All All All
Rhode Island All All All All All
South Carolina All All All All All
South Dakota All None None None None
Tennessee All All All All None
Texas All All All All Some7
Utah All All All All Some7
Table I.B.5 State Practices Regarding Eligibility of Nonexempt, Pre-PRWORA,
1
Qualified Aliens, July 2009
Battered
State Lawful permanent residents2 Asylees/Refugees3 Deportees4 Parolees5 noncitizens6
Vermont All All All All All
Virginia All All All All All
Washington All All All All Some7
West Virginia All All All All None
Wisconsin All All All All All
Wyoming All All All All All
Source: The Urban Institute's Welfare Rules Database, funded by HHS/ACF and HHS/ASPE.
Note: This table refers only to the largest groups of qualified aliens that entered the United States before August 22, 1996. It does not
address a few of the smaller groups of qualified aliens, including Cuban/Haitian entrants or aliens granted conditional entry before April 1,
1980.
1 This table identifies eligibility for federally funded TANF assistance of certain groups of qualified aliens that entered the country before
August 22, 1996. It does not provide information on the eligibility of other nonqualified aliens who may be eligible for state-funded
assistance. Also, aliens are categorized by their current immigrant status (rather than their initial status upon entry into the United States, if
different).
2 Lawful permanent residents are defined as individuals who have been admitted into the United States permanently.
3 Asylees and refugees are immigrants who flee their countries owing to persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion,
or membership in a social group. Refugees request permission to enter the country, while asylees are already in the United States and
request permission to stay.
4 Deportees are individuals granted a stay of deportation or who have had their deportation withheld.
5 Parolees are individuals permitted entry into the United States in cases of emergency or because of an overriding public interest. The table
only discusses the eligibility of aliens paroled into the United States for at least one year. Aliens paroled into the United States for less than
a year are not "qualified" aliens according to the immigrant definition in PRWORA.
6 Battered noncitizens refer to those individuals who meet the statutory definition of a battered alien pursuant to 8 USC 1641 (c).
7 Some battered noncitizens who meet the qualified alien definition.
8 All immigrant units are funded through a state program with the same eligibility rules as TANF. No immigrant units, however, are eligible
for federal TANF funding.
9 Qualified aliens with this status are only eligible for benefits for seven years beginning on the date they entered the United States.